Haitian charity files CRIMINAL charges against Donald Trump and JD Vance over claims migrants eat pets

A nonprofit group that advocates for Haitian migrants has filed criminal charges in Ohio over comments made by former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance alleging that illegal migrants eat people’s pets.

Both Republican candidates have fanned the flames of the debunked rumor since Vance posted about it on social media. Trump then picked up the ball in his own postings, spreading the idea to millions during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

“In Springfield, they eat the dogs. The people that come in, they eat the cats. They eat — they eat the pets of the people that live there,” he said this month.

Guerline Jozef of the Haitian Bridge Alliance filed the lawsuit. An Ohio statute allows a private citizen with “knowledge of the facts and intent to cause arrest or prosecution” to bring a lawsuit against a clerk of the court alleging a violation.

The lawsuit alleges that by spreading false claims, the candidates intimidated community members, including a group of Haitians who moved to Springfield to work at the plant.

“Their persistence and adamancy, even with the governor and mayor who claim this is not true, shows intent,” said attorney Subodh Chandra of the Cleveland-based Chandra Law Firm.

“It is a conscious, intentional violation of criminal law,” she added, AP reported, saying the group filed charges as private individuals due to the lack of action by local prosecutors.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung countered that “President Trump is right to highlight the failed immigration system led by (Vice President) Kamala Harris, which is allowing thousands of illegal immigrants to flow into communities like Springfield and many others across the country.

The nonprofit is holding the Republican candidates accountable for false alarms, telecommunications intimidation, aggravated threats and violating a ban on aiding and abetting, local ABC 6 branch reported.

City officials are tasked with reviewing the complaint to see if it meets the standard for probable cause. Local officials have never substantiated the pet-eating claims, and many of the Haitians in Springfield and the country are here on temporary protected status.

Vance is Ohio’s junior senator. Governor Mike DeWine defended migrants who have come to his hometown in an op-ed in the New York Timesand called them “there to work.” He also criticized the city for becoming an “epicenter of vitriol” and pointed to false bomb threats that led to school closures. In an article, he did not criticize Trump or Vance for spreading the rumor.

Trump continued to repeat these claims after the debate, announcing last weekend that he would visit Springfield.

Supporters have used AI images and memes to portray Trump as an animal savior

JL Partners surveyed 1,000 likely voters to hear their opinions on false claims that Haitians eat pets. The results have a margin of error of 3 percent

It’s unclear when or if that will happen. Trump has announced plans to visit Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, which means “dog’s prairie” in French, this weekend.

He mentioned the city again during a speech in Savannah on Tuesday.

Vance helped fuel the rumor with a September 9 post post on X where he wrote: ‘Months ago I raised the issue of illegal Haitian immigrants draining welfare resources and generally causing chaos throughout Springfield, Ohio. Now reports are showing people having their pets kidnapped and eaten by people who don’t belong in this country. Where is our border czar?’

He continued to promote the rumor on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying, “I’m not repeating (the rumors) because I made them up out of thin air. I’m repeating them because my constituents say these things happen.” He also posted that the rumors “turned out to be false.”

DailyMail.com has contacted Bridge Alliance about the lawsuit.